davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
Trading Oh the Coast of Africa.

Along the northeast coast of Africa,
south Of Cape Guardafui, there are no
towns worth mentioning for some hun
drcds Of miles. The Somali natives who
live along the coast have had scarcely
any dealings with white traders. A
little while ago smart firm IN Alden
made up their minds that by maintain
ing regular Communications with this
coast they would be able to build up q
good trade. They therefore bought a
little steam vessel and sent their agents
along the coast to tell the natives that at
certain times, if they would look out on
the sea, they would see a steamer COM
ing, laden with beautiful goods, to give
them in exchange for hides, palm oil,
and the other products OF the Somali
region. -,
The little vessel has now made several
trips, aud the experiment has proved q
great success. knowing that they may
expect the steamer at the date fixed, the
natives from many miles in the interior
flock to the shore at the different points
where the vessel stops. A large crowd
well burdened with objects Of exchange
await the steamer, which anchors off the
coast while trading boats put ashore, and
a Lively market is soon in progress
where few hours before nothing could
be seen but the wide-stretching sands
that border this coast.
The goods that are most 10 demand
among these new customers of the
whites are Venetian glassware and
American cotton shirtings. They drive
very fair bargains, and it is noteworthy
that the poor stutfs they bought at first
they now discard for better goods. The
same keenness has been observed among
other African natives. The Congo tribes,
for instance, will not touch now the poor
iackknivcs and tlimsy cottons they were
greedy for few years ago. The grades
of goods that the Congo State now
takes to Africa for bartering purposes
along the river cost, on All average, from
sixty to hundred per cent. more than
the goods that were sold to the natives
six or seven years ago.-MsO York Sun.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
Southern MOuntaineers.

Among these mountaineers the purity
of old English nomenclature and traces
of English dialect barbarisms are singu-
arly we'll preserved. Occasionally there
is a strong Welsh infusion in neigh
borhood," which has been existent
longer than current memory. In the
West Virginia mountains there is G
singular lace of dwartish people whose
orig gin nobody can suggest. They have
been held in contempt by their neighbors
ever since they appeared, and are even
yet regarded as meuials little better than
slaves. They intcrmarry among and per-
petuate themselves. now and then get
ling fresh, but not better, blood from
those outside whose condition renders
harmless the contempt that they will in
vite by marriage with the dwarfs. In
the North Carolina range there is a
strong Turkish Renaissance directly
traceablc to fugitive piracy. Constine is
there o commonly recurring surname,
being corruption of the Turkish Con-
s.antine, name borne by the merciless
John of that ils, who, for some years
before the war, was On outlawed high
wsyman and murderer infesting the
swamp lands of Carolina, levy;ng terror
and tribute upon the same surrounding
country. so great was the dread OF his
name and the traditional internal attrl-
butes that had seemed to protect him on
many occasions, that even after he had
been pursued into swamp and killed oy
avenging planters, the negroes firmly be-
lieved in his ability to triumph over
death, and for years were confident that
he would again appear in the majesty OF
his gigantic person and WELD his cele-
brated one-ingei ed hand with more than
his old destroying skill.
Of the British refugees who took to
the mountains for liberty's sake, many
we've enslaved convicts but not all were
felons. With the connivance OF the cor
rupt officers of the Georges there were
many instances of kidnapping. The slave
trade with Africa, which was then pre-
carious and slight, could not furnish
the colonies with enough labor. Even
the etilux Of felons from English prisons,
filled, as they were. with men accused
and convicted on slight grounds, could
not supply labor fast enough, especially
since the terrors of the coast climate and
the severity of the toll imposed killed of
the penal slaves rapidly. Resort was had
to force, and kidnapping Englishmen to
be sold as slaves in Virginia became al
most as frequent as the impressment OF
American scamen for British ships at a
more historic period. Many of those
who escaped from the coast plantations
by flying to the mountain fastnesses were
therefore innocent, unfortunate, and de-
serving men. Embittered Ly their fate,
made self-reliant by their solitude and
the terrors and dangers of their sur.
roundings, all these confused yet distinct
elements grew up imbued with Wild
courage, an instructive disregard for life,
and a character that was Puritanic in
some directions while 1t was singularly 2
loose and reckless in others. -Southsr'
| Bir0udc.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
HOmine Pigeons.

The public, writes New York CORE
spondent of the Troy Times, is but little
aware of the wide and increasing atten.
ton devoted to homing pigeons, and
hence brief paragraph on the subject
may be acceptable. There are several
societies or "fcderations' las they are
callcd) thus engaged, and che Executive
Committee of the New York pigeon fly
ers recently held an important meeting.
One of the objects is to form q congress
of pigeon flyers, and constitution and
bylaws are to be prepared for the next
annual meeting. In Philadelphia there
is an extensive association called the
"United Fanciers of Pigeon Flying
Another association has been formed in
Boston, and others are now expected in
various parts of the country The use
of carrier pigeons is of great antiquity.
being mentioned by Anacrcon, who lived
$500 years ago. and Tasso also brings
them into the defense of Jerusalem The
ordinary time made by those birds IS
thirty miles an hour, but instances are on
record oil thrice that rate. The culture
of homing pigeons is now (as some say
only beginning, and far greater attain
ments are expected by American fan
ciers.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
Not so Harmless as Supposed.

At Ironton, Ohio, a young reporter
for one of the city papers attended an
oyster supper 6 ven by the ladies OF
church society. The youth was waited
upon with all the prompt Edelity due to
his exalted station. The young man
showed his appreciation Of this kindness
by publishing next day a half.column
article on 1.-The Church Festival OYSTER"
containing all the time-honorcd With
cisims that have been handed down to
this generation on that su 'icct. A COM
mittee of twelve young ladies waited on
him at his lodgings shortly after the ap-
pearance of the paper on the street, took
him into smoke-house, tied him to q
post, read the article to him and then
delug ged him from head to foot with .
bucketful of oyster soup that had been
left from the supper the evening before.
-Roch<ster Democrat.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
Crazy COasting.

The other day Howard street hill (Al-
bany, N. W was lined on either side
with men and women roaring with
laughter. Strangers who added to the
throng and looked on sometimes joined
in the merrimeut, but at other times held
their breath at what they saw. The boys
had poured water down the middle of
the street and it had frozen into a mar
row roadway of silvery ice. Along this
slippery, slanting path there shot light
ning.like procession of coastng ma
chimes of sorts the most remarkable that
were ever seen together. First there
would come half dozen fragile painted
sleds, followed by an errand boy in
soap box nailed to sled, with brown
paper tluttering out from under him to
show that he was supposed to be deliv-
ering parcel somewhere. Next came
eight little urchins on piece of rough
plank, flying as if there were falling from
the clouds. Swiftly pursuing the plank
came boy on the lid of trunk, girl
on o square block of ice, boy on a
side of such box as oranges come in,
with another boy astride of his back, all
darting down at sixty miles a hour.
Close upon these came a young lady
and a boy on q toboggan, more
painted sleds, another errand boy
in a soap box, and, strangest sled of all,
door mat that had been wet and fro
zen stiff. bearing a ragged girl, revolv-
ing around and around after the manner
of pinwheel, and yet darting down
hill like flash. But there were many
other strange sights to come. One was
that of boy hitting by with nothing
beneath him, while close to his back
came the square block of wood that had
slipped from under him. Another boy
slid al. ng inside a decrepit old basket,
and one went by like swallow, On
little piece of wood under which he had
screwed pair of skates to serve as sled
runners. 1t was not so much coasting
as coasting burlesque, so utterly rldlc-
uIous were most of the methods en-
ployed to get down the hill. The truth
was that as each boy happened along
and caught sight of the glittering path
of ice he threw himself upon it If he
had sled, or, if he had none, he got the
first thing that came to hand to sit upon.
Night after night this crazy coasting
goes On, and thus far there is no news of
any one having been seriously hurt
Neu York Sun.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
Novel Mode OF Subduing a Horse.


was eating his head off in very luxu-
RANT loose box. because There was no
one in the establishment of the gentle
man to whom he belonged who had the
courage or strength to enter his stable
to saddle and bride him. If a groom
approached for any other purpose than
to give him his corn and hay. he would
speedily drive him away by the free use
of his hoofs and teeth. One day at
lunch the owner was lamcnting the use
lessness of the finest horse in his stud to
u party of friends, and wound up by
saying that he would gladly make
present of the horse to any one who
could saddle and ride him out of the
yard.
A young graduate of Oxford, Hon.
Sidney Lawford, expressed his willing
ness to make the attempt, and though
warned by many blood-curdiing re-
cital of what had been the fate Of the
erooms and the stable boys that had
made the like effort, he persisted in his
determination to try. After lunch all
adjourned to the stable in expectation
of seeing the young fellow receive
severe lesson for his temerity. Hc was
known to be an expert in every manly
exercise, especially boxing, and was in
perfect wind and training. Selecting q
saddle and bride from an adjacent sack,
he approached the strong bars that
opened into the brute's stall, speaking
kindly and soothingly to him. The horse
turned and eyed the stranger, and,
catching sight OF the hated bit BECAME
furious, lashing out madly with his heels
and stamping wildly about the stall,
making the straw of his bedding fly IN
every direction.
Without word the graduate rested
the saddle and bride on the top rail;
but the steady, undaunted fire of the
eye, the firmly compressed lip, the back
ward poise of the shapcly head, the
swelling muscles of his 1.-THE and active
frame as he lightly vaulted into the box,
told plainly of the iron, indomitable will
and pluck within. Scarcely had he
landed on his fest than the now
thoroughly infuriatcd beast came rush
ing headlong at him, with its satin ears
tlattened closely against its lean head,
its eyes afame and bloodshot, its mouth
agape and displaying set of cleaning
teeth, which he gnashed and ground
with fury. Sudden and savage though
the onslaught was, the young oxonlan
was prepared.
Throwing himself naturally and grace
fully into boxing attitude, he met the
maddened animal with a blow on the
temple, Just between the ear and eye,
swift, straight and inexorable as from
Nasmy yth 8 hammer, that brought him on
his knees. Fearing UP and squealing
with pain and range, the brute rushed
again upon his foe, who stepped aside,
but pale and determined, awaiting his
coming. Again level belt, straight
from the shoulder, flew the clinched list,
and down dropped the horse. Slowly ne
staggered to his feet, ana trembling in
every limb, while great patches of per-
spiration stained his tlanks and sides, he
covered In q corner Of the stall, com
pletely vanquished. The victor soon had
the bit in his mouth, and leading him
out of the stall, cantered gaYly on the
prize his bravery and knowledge had
won. Outing.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
HOmeODathy.

Homeopathy. as system Of medicine,
was introduced by DR.. llahncmann, q
native of Germany, toward the close of
the last century. The name is derived
from two Greek words signifying ''sim-
liar suffering" Hahnemann's convic-
ton was that medicines can cure dis
eased conditions similar to those which
they have the power to excite. In
short, that diseases are cured by medi-
cincs which produce symptoms in
healthy persons similar to those pre-.
seuted by the patient. In order to elab'
crate his idea he was obliged to practice
upon himself and friends. The result
OF his labors in this direction are pub
lished in ten volumes.-Herah q
.IenliL
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
THE FLOWER OF FAME

At morn bud,
Whose leaves, still dampened by the morning
dew.
Give promise Of beauty unsurpassed,
And lay upon tho altar of our view
The possibilities the future may possess.
At noon full blown rose,
Whose fragrance, which it scatters on the air,
Is equaled only by its loveliness
The model which the artist paints with care,
And the never-dying substance of hepoet's
song.
At night faded flower,
Whose withered leaves are trampled into
dust
Unheeded by the busy passer-by;
Whose perfume, which was borne by every
gust,
Is lost amid the tempest of the night.
And so with fame
AT morn tits frightened by hopes fairest
dreams,
To bloom into reality at noon;
At eve the suns refulgent beams
Find but the ashes of ambitions flame.
Ed. Cooley IN the Comet
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23

shoot from horseback or from . wagon,
and from four to eight birds could be
shot any pleasant September or early
October evening on large wheat field
Now, prairie chickens seldom, if ever,
settle on a newly sown wheat field tc
feed. Their acquired instinct tells them
to avoid the open ground.
In September the prairie chickens
pack-that is, many covcys congregate
and form immense focks. The chickens
feed on corn. When they leave the fields
they fly to the uplands. The middle of
the fall and winter days they can be
found, by those who know their habits,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23

Sir Andrew Clarke, the celebrated
English physician declares that one-half
the population of London is permanently
ill. lie defines health as "that state in
which the boly is not conscoasl ly present
to us: the state in which work is easy
and duty not over great trial; the state
in which it is JOY to see, to thiak, to
feel and to be-"
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04
A Hubbardston Farmer at Che Hub.
Boston Post.

A staid old Hubbardston farmer
came to the Hub yesterday to do ga
leetle tradin',n and as he meandered
down Washington street "headed for
the Fitehburgh depot" as he said, he
suddenly halted, gazed excitedly at
sign in front of a clothing house and
then darted into the store, exclaiming,
"Well, yum, that is good ~ After
due deliberatiOn he selected $40 suit
OF clothes, rendering in payment just
81. "That is the right change, sir"
said he to the astonished clerk. "But
don't understand l told you that
suit would be SlO," argued the clerk,
Eyes, | know; but don't your old sign
out there at the door say, 'all we want
is ~ cents on the dollar y" and pick
ing up his new purchase the honest old
Hubbardston farmer hastily left. He
trotted along, cOngratulating himself
on his wonderful smartness, and was
heard to mutter, 81 guess Pm lively
enough for these ERE city folks" But
a sudden change came "O'er the spirit
of his Dreams after he had walked a
short distance. A look of utter disgust
overspread his face, the bundle fell
from his arms, and in a mOurnful tone
he said, "Why in blazes didn't / look
around little before / bought them
clothes 2" The cause of this conster-
nation was another clothing sign that
read: Goods sold here at half price"
After studying the situation several
minutes he resumed his journey depot
ward, saying, 81 might have saved SIS
just as we'll as not if hadn't been in
such pesky hurry"
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04

command the whole republican vote,
"and win back some of you mug
wumps. The risk of Mr.. Blaine's nom
nation is too great, and do not be-
lieve it will be taken.n
This is the view of a republican who
voted for Mr.. Blaine, and would vote
for him again were he nominated. But
it omits the fact that Mr.. Blaine I'M
doubtedly desires the nomination, that
his friends control the party machine,
that he and no other republican has a
large and enthusiastic following, and
that the voice of the republicans who
most strenuously withstOod his nom
inatiOn before is no longer heard in
the party councils. Moreover, the
party record since 1884 shows no dis
content with what may be called Blaine
and of itself has done
little to recall the party estrays of that
year. If, as was proudly asserted in
1884, Mr.. Blaine was the unidentified
of the party then there
is no reason to doubt that he is it's rep
resentative now. We differ from our
repub lican friend in thinking that he
will be nominated i'm 1888.
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04
Playing 1t Very Low Down.
Dakota Bell.

A man from Minnesota moved to Da.
kota this week and bought a farm q
few miles from Sioux Falls. He was
just settled when, day before yester-
day, q man with book under his arm
leaned over the fence and said:
"Just bought this land, stranger 7"
"Yes.n
"Mighty fine farm"
"Yes sir; very fine"
"Must be worth $1,000"
"More'n that. paid $4,000 for it.
Then there are indications of coal on
it, which are alone worth $4,000.
"That so ?n
ayes, sir. There's coal on it sure.
Then the new railroad is going across
one corner and a town is plated there
now. | consider my farm worth SIS,
600 at least-I wouldn't take cent
less. What are you putting down in
the book 2"
"Ob, nothing much. You see am
the assessor. Other farms around here
amt worth more'n fifteen hundred or
two thousand, but I've just put yours
down at the figure you mentioned,
seems you insist. Good mornIn' sir,
glad you've moved into the neIghbor-
hood
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04
Robert Il. Lincoln for 'SS.
Ohicdgo Times.

Mr.. Lincoln, like all the rest, John
Sherman alone excepted, has made no
effort to work up boom. He has no
literary bureau, no lieutenants of any
kind at work for him. His strength is
absolutely spontaneous. Those who
know him personally are well aware
that he has no wish to be either presi-
dent or vice president. The two trag-
edies at the White House touched him
very nearly, and he makes no secret of
his distaste for public life. He enjoys
the practice of law, and lives quietly
He is building himself house on the
lake shore drive, near the park which
bears his fathers name, and it is safe
to say that he prefers that as semi
suburban residence to the executive
mansion at Washington. Like Richard
Cromwell, he has no taste for public
life. But the American people are
not accustomed to pay much attention
to personal likes and dislikes in select
ing a president. No man ever pro-
NOTED his chances by taking heed
thereto as King James version puts
it. 1t is evident that the republican
party has its eye upon Mr.. Lincoln,
and that in the event of a contest such
as those of 1876 and 1880 his name will
be placed at the head of the ticket
and that without putting out the gas
or the resort by his friends to any
sharp practice. On the contrary, his
personal friends and himself combined
could not prevent that result if they
tried. At least, there was never
clearer indication of public sentiment
than that if there is to be a dark horse
at all, it will be the son of Abraham
Lincoln. And this is not altogether
because he is the son of his father,
either. With the Inauguration of Gen.
Garfield he came prominently before
the public, and during the four years
he was at the head of the war depart
ment he showed himself to be level
headed, honorable and modest. The
people were well pleased to find the
son of the great emancipation free from
the vices and the follies so often found
in the sons of illustrious sires. He
made no enemies. Alike popular with
both wings of the republican party, his
candidacy would arouse no animOsities.
If he lacks magnetic pOwer-one of the
prime qualities of his father-he is pc
culiarly strong in the negative virtues.
Should the convention find itself dead
locked, it would make no mistake in
taking him up and once more doing
battle under the leadership of Lincoln.
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04
SQUIBS.

The title of George w. Cables latest
lecture is "CObwebs in the church." 1t
may be guessed that Mr.. Gable makes
some sweeping statements.-[ Lowell
Citizen.
The Bloomington Eye claims that its
editor has lived, and lived we'll, on %
cents per week. We are really curl
GUS to know how he spent the other
three cents.-[Bur. Free Press.
Owing to the persistent call for
"white meat, please" at the summer
resorts, Down East farmer is prac-
ticing on his chickens, in hopes of in
venting breed of fowls that are
double breasted in the back.-[Spring-
field Union.
There are 60 electric bells on w. X.
Vanderbilt's farm. Whenever hen
lays an egg she is required to touch
one of these bells instead of cackling.
1t answers the same purpose and is a
great saving of energy for the hem
Burlington Free Press.
Bulgaria is said to be Overrun with
armed bands. The Bulgarian band
has the reputation of being worse than
any we have IN the back towns of New
England, and if they didn't go armed
people would fall upon the trombone
man and stuff his horn with old BOOTS
Bur. Free Press.
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-04
where Slate Pencils are Made.

In the northwestern part of the town
of Castleton, Rutland county, VT, is
the only mandatory in the United
States of slate pencils, says the Pot
terry and Glassware Reporter. The
stone as it comes from the quarry is
first sawed into blocks from four to
seven inches wide, according to the
length desired for the pencils. These
are split quite easily with a chisel into
slabs little thicker than the finished
are passed through a planning machine
and over an emery belt to make them
fiat, smooth and of a uniform thick
ness of about $40 inch. Next they are
pushed into the jaws of Crocodile
which consists of a pair of steel plates,
in the under. one of which are six rows
of curved knives, each set SO as to cut
a little deeper than the one that went
before it. These pillow out parallel
grooves half way through the slab,
which man then turns and lays on a
steel plate, having ridges which just
fit these grooves. This slides back
under the six rows of teeth of second
Crocodile" lying in wait alongside,
which cut the grooves on the other
side, and leaves the pencils side by
side. Lastly, they are broken and
rolled off for an instant, to point them
Oh an emery belt. A man can give
this last touch to about 5000 in day.
The average daily output is about 3d.
600, and the mill gives employment to
some 25 hands. The old plan was to
saw out square pencils from the slab
one by one. These were boxed and
distributed among poor families, who
whitfield them round by hand at from
a quarter to half a dollar per thousand.